Thursday, December 21, 2006

Note from Bulldog Health. This is a detailed account from wikihow.com on how to breed English Bulldogs, personally I do not recommend to my readers that they breed English Bulldogs. I think that it is a risky and expensive proposition and should be left to the professionals. And I do not edorse the methods proposed herin, I merely publish the article for informational purposes only -- Janclick the title above to read the entire article.

The best advise is not to breed unless you have plans that will include the proper long term commitment to the breed, the health and safety of the bitch and puppies, and the ability to completely understand the Bulldog and its needs.StepsSo the time has come for your bulldog to be bred. Your bitch is sound, her temperment is excellent and she is worthy of the breed. Your thoughts should also have been given to the correct selection of a proper stud. A mating should take place after careful consideration of bloodlines, health, age and how many previous litters.Count 60-63 days before the puppies are likely to be born making sure everything necessary for their arrival will be in order by that time. Note; semen can hold in the bitch for up to 3 days, so be careful not to expect them too early. Example: If she has passed 63 days and you have no puppies she may have not "taken" the day you thought she did. It could be a few more days.LABOR: A normal gestation is about 63 days. A week before the puppies

I think the problem I see the most is step #1 "Your bitch is sound, her temperment is excellent and she is worthy of the breed."

People assume that if she looks healthy and doesn't show any signs of unsoundness, then she must be sound and breedable.

A good breeder will spend lots of money on getting their dogs fully checked out by a quality vet, and opting for all the extra precautions.

They'll also do extensive research on the parents, grandparents, and even greatgrandparents of both the stud and the bitch to make sure that there are no hidden genetics that could cause problems for the puppies even though they don't show up in the parents.

It's very costly to breed dogs properly. You're absolutely correct when you suggest it should be left to the professionals.

My family just started breeding English Bulldogs over the last year. We have been very lucky in that we selected two healthy dogs that are able to conceive on their own and my female gives birth naturally. Her first litter was born in two hours. We believe that if the dogs cannot conceive and give birth naturally they shouldn't be bred. I know that goes against many traditional Bulldog breeders feelings about maintaining some specifics of the breed, but I feel that it is in the best interest and health of the dogs.